Science area: Life
Science Concept: Transpiration
Can you change the
color of a flower?
Paradox #3
Materials:
- white
flowers, like white carnations or Queen Anne's Lace
- food
coloring- any color
- water
- a
plastic container
Safety Considerations:
This activity requires help from an adult in order to cut
the flowers.
Discrepancy:
If food coloring is added to the
water, the flower will change to that color.
Procedure:
1.
Fill a plastic container with water and add 20-30 drops of
food coloring.
2.
Cut a small piece of the stem off of the flower.
3.
Put the flower in the container of food coloring and water.
4.
Check every few hours to see how the petals are changing
color. The only way the petals can change color is if the food coloring travels
up the stem and goes to the petals.
- After
about one day, the petals of the flower will turn from white to the color
of the food coloring.
Questions:
- How
long did it take for the petals to change color?
- Do you
think the color will last or fade?
Explanation:
The leaves and petals of plants
have lots of small holes called stomates. They're too small to see. Water
evaporates through these holes. This process is called transpiration. After the
water evaporates, the plant needs more water to grow. If the flower is planted
in soil, the roots of the plant get the water from the soil and then the water
travels up through its stem. But, if the flower is in a container of water, it
doesn't have any roots so it just sucks up the water through its stem.
Source:
Spangler, Steve. (2007) Color
Changing Carnations. Steve Spangler Science
Web site: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000144
